“Let’s make tonight the starting point of setting the new standard once more,” LaVar Arrington, former Penn State All American and pro football linebacker, said at the vigil. “The worst crime that we could commit right now is to leave here and forget what happened. It’s on us to restore the pride of Old State.”

This is Penn State.

SEAN SIMMERS,The Patriot-NewsStudents Kristen Adams (left) and Jessica Harrington take part in a candle light vigil held in front of Old Main on the campus of Penn State University to honor the victims of sexual abuse in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

After the Attorney General Linda Kelly cited a culture of secrecy at the university, Erickson encouraged faculty, staff and students to entertain conversation about the scandal that’s unfolded at Penn State in the last seven days, and then “re-orient our culture.”

“Talk about these issues,” Erickson said. “We can’t learn and move forward until we understand more fully the issues involved here.”

There have been no major personnel changes since the firings Wednesday, and Curley’s status will be addressed next week. Erickson believes that eventually, the university will honor the legacy of Paterno. Now isn’t the right time, he said.

Erickson said a focus right now is to support interim head football coach Tom Bradley, and he did not address a search for a next head football coach. Spanier remains a tenured member of faculty at Penn State, and is still in the President’s House.

But Erickson acknowledged the nationwide scandal might have a short term impact on fundraising.

Investigations take shape

Erickson will lead the university until the board is able to conduct a national search for a new president, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said. As a show of support, the trustees decided to drop the “interim” from his title.

He takes over as the Sandusky scandal remains the subject of an ongoing attorney general’s office investigation, along with an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additionally, the NCAA has announced its intention to investigate the matter for any violations of its rules as well.

Corbett, who made his first appearance at a Penn State trustees meeting as a board member, said he wants to attend as many of those meetings as possible. He will have a hand in the university’s internal investigation through a delegate.

As attorney general, Corbett initiated the investigation that led to the charges against Sandusky, Curley and Schultz.

The trustees gave careful consideration to the committee’s composition because it wants the findings to be viewed as objective and complete, trustees said.

“What’s equally important is bringing in outside counsel who will be instrumental in the investigation so a completely objective and thorough and definitive report can be issued and that the investigation will be of the greatest extent possible,” Tomalis said.

As far as the timeline, Tomalis said it will take as much time as necessary to have a thorough and exhaustive investigation.

The president’s appointment and formation of the investigating committee dominated the trustees’ meeting, which lasted through the morning in what previously had been scheduled to be a daylong session.

Trustees quickly moved through the agenda, starting with a roll call and approval of minutes, then heard a report on enrollment and graduation rates and a review of a financial audit.

When it came to a report from the committee on campus environment — at the end of a week like no other in Penn State history, complete with riots, protests and the firing of Paterno — trustee Michael DiBerardinis responded: “No report.”

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